Camcorder

[Allen Key]

Which is the best camcorder for recording models in flight

[Vikki]

Bit of a personal choice really. I tend to go Panasonic for cameras and camcorders. Right criteria I suppose would be:

1) HD capable, you need all the detail you can get.

2) A good amount of zoom.

3) A buddy who can actually use a camcorder and track your model fairly accurately.

The make would be up to you and your pocket :D

Vikki.

[r4nd0m]

[QUOTE=Vikki;879729]Right criteria I suppose would be:

1) HD capable, you need all the detail you can get.

2) A good amount of [I][B]OPTICAL[/B][/I] zoom.

3) A buddy who can actually use a camcorder and track your model fairly accurately. - [B][I]OR A VIEWFINDER[/I][/B]
[/QUOTE]

If you have a look on the grass roots comp videos I took they were shot with a Panasonic SD90 - it only has 1 CCD but that CCD performs better than any other 3CCD ones from Panasonic - which has been a mystery for quite a while now ...

[Vikki]

Pretty sure mine is only 1 CCD. It's only a baby with an SD card. I'm a bit lost now.

Vikki.

Edit: Ah! Just seen viewfinder comment LOL. I miss a viewfinder.

[Paulig]

The iphone 4s and ipad 3 are very impressive for recording footage - especially the ipad 3 in good light. You can get special 'Grips' for them to help steady the shots. Down side is there is no optical zoom. You wouldn't want to zoom anyway because your movements would be exaggerated unless on a tripod. Its better to have land in the seen so you have something to reference from.

[Reality Bites]

i bought a panny SD600 around a year ago for just over £300. It's brilliant in my opinion. I use 16GB DS cards which are cheap as chips now. No viewfinder but would never use it anyway. I find using a Viewfinder means you miss what you're trying to record much of the time. As long as the suns not directly on the screen, you'll be fine with using that for recordings.

I tested it when I first got it by recording a HD broadcast on the TV. I played it back and my wife didn't realise I was playing the recording back.

[Varelco]

ipad 3 is actually pretty good, the 9.7inch screen makes it alot easier to follow the model.

[James A]

Looking at a recent vid with slow motion capture (or whatever it is called) i'd say that was a must feature now. For heli vids it just looks superb having full hd running slow as you do your thing. Damn, guess I'll have to update from my old Canon HF-10.

[arby]

[QUOTE=Allen Key;879726]Which is the best camcorder for recording models in flight[/QUOTE]

Try and budget for one with a viewfinder,

as trying to track a small dot around the sky with a camera held at arms length whilst squinting into a washed out lcd display in sunlight = pita

[Reality Bites]

[QUOTE=arby;879767]Try and budget for one with a viewfinder,

as trying to track a small dot around the sky with a camera held at arms length whilst squinting into a washed out lcd display in sunlight = pita[/QUOTE]

or get a model which can track a subject? on my SD600 you click on the screen to indicate the subject and it will constantly focus on it while in view.

[Andy from Sandy]

[QUOTE=Reality Bites;879772]or get a model which can track a subject? on my SD600 you click on the screen to indicate the subject and it will constantly focus on it while in view.[/QUOTE]

Until it goes out of view. lol. I don't know how tracking works as I have never used it.

[Andy from Sandy]

I shall find out at the weekend how much better an external microphone is.

Two things are kind of annoying with video; one is the camera focusing on clouds as the model passes them and the sound of the wind. I know you can turn off audio but what do you do when recording someone's flight to music?

[Paulig]

[QUOTE=Andy from Sandy;879849]I shall find out at the weekend how much better an external microphone is.

Two things are kind of annoying with video; one is the camera focusing on clouds as the model passes them and the sound of the wind. I know you can turn off audio but what do you do when recording someone's flight to music?[/QUOTE]

A seperate recorder?
Stick it threw iMovie and add the soundtrack there.

[Andy from Sandy]

[QUOTE=Paulig;879881]Put it through imove. Unless you have a PC....[/QUOTE]

What will imove do for me exactly?

[Paulig]

It is brilliant editing software that is so easy and fun to use. You record with your camera, then download to your computer and add all the music and editing there.